Garment



March 1, 1955 D. A. GOURDON GARMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 5, 1951 INVENTOR. fiofmeAfioalziolz K y w ATTORAEYS March 1, 1955 D. A. GOURDON I 2,702,903

GARMENT Filed Dec. 5. 1951 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VEN TOR.

Dori/Z6 A Gourd 0n BY lw KW AT! ORNEYS United States patmfo GARMENT Dorine A. Gourdon, New York, N. Y.

Application December 5, 1951, Serial No. 259,939

6 Claims. (Cl. 2-28) This invention relates to garments and more particularly to garments useful as pantie girdles or corsets, bathing suits, shorts or sports apparel.

Objects and features of the invention are to provide garments of the character mentioned which when worn retain substantially the natural contour of the body and at the same time provide two-way shaping for the buttocks. In the garment of this invention each individual buttock of the wearer is separately restrained and shaped in contrast with conventional garments wherein the tendency of the garment is to compress both buttocks as a unit. The result in such conventional garments is an exaggeration of the wearers form in contrast with the natural form fit provided by the individual buttock support and restraint made possible with the garment of this invention.

Further objects and features of the invention are to provide a garment in which the buttocks are cupped naturally thereby eliminating any tendency of the garment to ride up during wear.

Further objects and features of the invention are the provision of a garment having a crotch portion in its lower section shaped to the body of the wearer to provide coverage and restraint without binding.

Further objects and features of the invention are the provision of the garment having a portion above the waistline in front to provide diaphragm control and a gradually descending line around the sides and toward the back, eliminating the usual roll of flesh that appears when ordinary garments are worn.

Further objects and features of the invention are the provision of a garment in which the front portion is shaped substantially to the natural abdomen line permitting freedom of movement while providing necessary restraint.

. Further objects and features of the invention are the provision of a garment made of a minimum number of pieces cut from fabrics of appropriate widths having selvage edges which may be utilized as finished edges in the production of a shaped garment with a minimum number of seams.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is an angular profile elevation of a garment embodying the invention in position of use on a wearer;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the garment of Fig. 1 as worn;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the garment as it appears upon the wearer;

Fig. 4 is a plan view illustrative of the manner of assembly of the individual pieces of the garment;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the pattern of the front piece of the garment;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the pattern of the rear piece of the garment; and

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the pattern of one of the side pieces of the garment, the other side piece being identical therewith and not being shown.

Referring to the drawings, and first to Fig. l, the reference character 10 denotes the garment generally. This garment 10 includes a front piece 11 seen in Figs. 1 and 5. This front piece 11 is of one-way stretch material with the stretch direction in vertical direction or it could be of non-stretch material This front piece 11 is made up of two sections 11a and 11b symmetrically disposed "ice about a vertical center line as illustrated in Fig. 5 cut from elastic or plain non-stretch material whose grain direction in each section extends along the lines of the respective arrows A and B. As indicated clearly in Fig. 5, the bottom edges 12 and 12a of the front pieces 11a and 11b are oblique substantially extending in opposite directions from the vertical center line. The lower outer side edge sections 13a and 13b are concave and flare upwardly from the bottom edge 12 to the respective horizontally aligned peaks 14a and 14b. The outer side edge sections 15a and 1512 are respectively concave and taper from the respective peaks 14a and 14b to their junctions with the peaks 16a and 16b. The outer side edge sections 17a and 17b are concave and taper towards their functions with the convex upper edges 18a and 18b. The inner edges 19a and 19b are straight and parallel in the greater parts of their lengths and concavely curved at 20a and 20b to join the lower edges 12a and 12b. As the front piece 11 is made of two half sections 11a and 11b as shown in Fig. 5 these two sections are joined along their edges 19a, 19b, 20a and 20b by an appropriate seam.

The garment also includes a back piece 21. This back piece 21 is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 6 of the drawings and is made of two symmetrical pieces 21a and 21b of one-way stretch fabric whose direction of stretch is parallel with the vertical center line as indicated by the arrows C in Figs. 3 and 6. With reference to this back piece 21 its two pieces 21a and 21b are cut on the straight of the goods and have the respective oblique bottom edges 22a and 22b extending oppositely from the vertical center line. The piece 21 may be cut as a single panel or preferably as shown is cut as two separate halves 21a and 21b symmetrical about the vertical centerline and joined together as will be described. The lower side edge sections 23a and 23b which joinedges 22a and 22b are both concave and flare upwardly from the bottom edges 22a and 22b to the respective horizontally aligned peaks 24a and 24b. Outer side edge portions 25a and 25b, both concave, connect the respective peaks 24a and 24b with the horizontally aligned peaks 26a and 26b. Outer side edge sections 27a and 27b connect the peaks 26a and 26b with the upper convex edges 28a and 28b. The inner edges 29a and 2% are straight and parallel for major portions of their length and are concavely curved in their lower portions 30a and 30b. Portions 21a and 21b are joined together along their inner edge portions 29a, 29b and 30a, 30b by an appropriate seam to form the back piece 21.

A pair of left and front side pieces 31 and 32 are provided. These side pieces 31 and 32 have identical pattern and the pattern of the left side piece 31 only is shown in Fig. 7. The material of the side pieces 30 and 31 is optionally either two-way stretch or one-way stretch fabric. If of one-way stretch fabric, the direction of stretch is substantially horizontal as denoted by the arrow D of Fig. 7. If of two-way stretch material the second direction of stretch is perpendicular to the arrow D. The material selected for the side pieces 31 and 32 preferably has a width whose dimensions provide straight selvage top and bottom edges 33 and 34. Providing selveges at these edges eliminates the necessity for scams or hems at said edges. This is optional and hems may be used instead. The lower side edge sections 35 and 36 both convex extend upwardly from the bottom edge 34 to the respective cusps 37 and 38 which are horizontally aligned. The upper side edge sections 39 and 40 both convex extend upwardly from the respective cusps 37 and 38 respectively to a cusp 41 and a peak 42 in the top edge 33. A slanting side edge 43 joins the cusp 41 with the edge 44 and a slanting side edge 45 joins the peak 42 with the edge 44. The area defined by edges 33, 43, 44 and 45 constitute a hem allowance. The pieces 31 and 32 it is to be observed are unsymmetrical relative to a vertical axis and simulate substantially a side profile view of a wearers body at its mid-section thereof.

It is understood that appropriate seam allowances are provided at each edge of each piece.

The pieces 11, 21, 31 and 32 are assembled together to form the garment 10 generally as. follows:

The lower concave side edge section 15a of the piece 11 is sewed or otherwise joined to the lower convex Patented Mar. 1, 1955 side edge section 36 of the piece 31. Similarly, the upper concave side edge section 17a of the front piece 11 is olned to the upper convex side edge section 40 of the side piece 31. The lower concave side edge section 25b of the rear piece 21 is similarly joined to the lower convex side edge section 35 of the side piece 31. Also the upper concave side edge section 27b of the back piece 21 is joined to the upper convex side edge section 39 of the side piece 31. The concave side edge sections b and 17b of the front piece 11 are joined to the convex side edge sections 36a and 40a of the side piece 32 while the concave side edge sections 250 and 27a of the back piece 21 are joined to the convex side edge sections 35a and 39a of the side piece 32. The respective convex side edge sections 35a, 36a, 39a and 40a of the side piece 32 correspond identically in shape with the respective convex side ed e sections 34, 35, 39 and 40 of the side piece 31. When the pieces 11, 21, 31. and 32 have been ioined as described, the peaks 16a and 16b of the front piece will lie on an equatorial line passing through the peaks 26 1 and 26b of the back piece 21. Tn other words, the peaks 16a, 16b, 26a and 26b are horizontally ali ned. The dimensions of the side edge sections 25a. 25b, 27a and 27b of the back piece 21 and of the side ed e sections 35, 35a, 39 and 39a of the side pieces 31 and 32 to which they are joined are dimensioned to provide a fullness at the back of the garment which s in the f rm of a pair of buttock cups whi h fit with the res ective buttocks of the wearer. By providing individual buttock cups thev individually shape and restrain each buttock. The peaks 26a and 26b are located at the respective buttock apices of the wearer. Since the peaks 16a. 16b. 26a and 26b lie horizontally aligned on an equatorial or circumferential line and since the material of the side pieces 31 and 32 is preferably one-way stretch materi l with its direction of stretch parallel with said equatorial line and. furthermore. since the back piece 21 onlv has one-way vertical stretch, the restraining forces applied to cup the buttocks is substantially in two directions, namely. along their vertical direction of curvature and along their horizontal direction of the curvature. The effect is thus to retain the natural contour of the bodv while at the same time provide adequate restraint in all directions of curvature of the buttocks. In addition, the bottom ed es 12a and 12b of front piece 11 are appropriatelv joined as by a seam or the like to the bottom edges 22a and 22b thus forming a continuous crotch piece extending across the bottom of the garment from its front piece to its back piece.

Because of the curvature of edges a, 20b and 30a. 30b and the obliquity of the bottom edges 12a. 12b and 22a, 22b. the crotch portion of the assembled garment has inverted natural V-line shape as seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 making it very form fitting when the garment is worn and permits free stride.

Moreover. because of the provision of the buttock cups the upper back portion of the garment fits naturally into the small of the wearers back therebv eliminating wrinkles. Furthermore. the upper edge 19 of the front portion 11 terminates hi h enough above the waistline of the wearer to provide diaphragm control and, as the u per ed e of the garment extends around the wearers sides toward the center of the back it descends gradually, fitting closelv to the wearers bodv and eliminating any tendencv for the formation of a roll of flesh at the wearers sides and back.

To au ment he fit at the wearers sides along the u per edge elastic strip inserts 50 (Fi 4) may be provided in each of the side pieces 31 and 32 in proximity of their upper edges 33 and 33a. These elastic inserts 50. however. are optional and are not essential to the garment.

The resulting construction, therefore, provides twoway shaping for the buttocks, and an inverted V-shaped crotch portion and retains the natural contour of the body while producing necessary restraint and provides a garment shaped into the natural abdomen line to perm t freedom of movement with necessary restraint. In addition the garment will not ride up and does not require the use of garters to retain it in its appropriate posltion on the wearers body.

To facilitate donning the garment, a slide fastener S may be provided along a part of one of the seams, for example that between edges 17b and 40 of the side and front pieces 11 and 32.

The parts of front piece 11 defined by edges 12a, 13a, 20a and 12b, 13b and 20b and the parts of the rear piece 21 defined by edges 22a, 23a, 25a, 30a and 22b, 23b, 25b and 30b constitute under leg sections forming the crotch portion. Meeting edges of this portion are on the bias relative to each other to provide sufiicient stretch to eliminate binding when the garment is worn.

If the front and back pieces 11 and 21 are unitary pieces then an extra crotch piece (not shown) must be provided.

While the garment has been described as assembled from separate pieces of material, if of latex or other molda' le elastic material, the entire garment 19 may be molded as a unit to provide the buttock pockets at its rear that are formed when separate pieces are used by the joints between the side pieces 31 and 32 and back piece 21. Wearing of such a unitary garment will have the same body restraining and buttock retaining and shaping features of the garment 10.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, variations in structural detail within the scope of the claims are possible and are contemplated. There is no limitation therefore to the exact details shown and described.

What is claimed is:

l. A garment adapted to be worn about the midsection of the body to provide support and restraint therefor along natural body contour lines, comprising a front piece having side edges, upper and lower edges, the side edges having peaks intermediate the upper and lower edges with the remainder of the side edges describing inwardly extending concave arcs from the peaks to the upper and lower edges, the ends of the arcs joining with the upper and lower edges being inwardly toward the center of the front piece with relation to the peaks, a back piece having side edges and upper and lower edges, the side edges having peaks intermediate the upper and lower edges with the remainder of the side edges describing inwardly extending concave arcs from the peaks to the upper and lower edges, the ends of the arcs joining with the upper and lower edges being inwardly toward the center of the back piece with relation to the peaks, and a pair of side pieces, each side piece having straight and parallel upper and lower edges and side edges, each side edge having a cusp intermediate the upper and lower edges with the remainder of each side edge describing outwardly extending convex arcs from the cusps to the upper and lower edges of the side piece, the front, back and side pieces being joined together along meeting side edge sections with the peaks interfitting with the cusps and the concave portions of the front and back pieces interfitting with the convex portions of the side pieces, and the peaks horizontally aligned so as to be substantially medially of the buttocks of the body of the wearer to provide individual buttock pockets at the rear of the garment, at least one of the front and back pieces being stretchable in a substantially vertical direction, and at least one of the side pieces being stretchable in a substantially horizontal direction, the upper edge of the entire garment extending in a gradually descending line from the front toward the back thereof, and wherein folding up of the lower and upper edges of the garment is prevented during use because of the straight and parallel lines of the upper and lower edges of the side pieces.

2. The garment of claim 1 in which said back piece is of elastic material having one-way vertical stretch, in which said side pieces are of elastic material having horizontal stretch and in which said front piece has vertical stretch.

3. The garment of claim 2 in which said side pieces also have vertical stretch.

4. The garment of claim 1 in which said back piece consists of two symmetrical sections of elastic material rear of the garment, and wherein the lower front edge of the garment is at a higher level than the lower rear edge thereof, the lower edge of said front piece extending in concave arcs upwardly and outwardly from the inner thigh portions to form peaks at junctions with the upwardly inclining bottom front edges of the side pieces.

6. The garment of claim 1 wherein each side section has a laterally disposed elastic member secured near its upper edge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Clark June 1, 1943 Scriggins Feb. 15, 1944 Stephens Mar. 14, 1944 Bcrdach Sept. 18, 1945 Cooper Sept. 25, 1951 

